The most helpful favourable review

The most helpful critical review

46 of 49 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 starsInspiration to make your spirits soar
I got an inkling this book would be different when Dan Pearson was guest editor on Gardens Illustrated in January this year (2009). The result gave an insight into this deep thinker and the way he looks at the landscape.

I then was lucky enough to win a ticket to see him speak at the Hay Festival in May, which turned out to be a preview of this book. I've been...

3.0 out of 5 starsInteresting for Dan Pearson fans
I'm a big fan of Dan Perason and this book is interesting as it tells you about his early life and family. Each chapter informs the reader about what he finds inspirational. The part which was missing for me is where he has incorporated these ideas into garden designs. I can admire many of the images but not see how to use them in my own garden.

I got an inkling this book would be different when Dan Pearson was guest editor on Gardens Illustrated in January this year (2009). The result gave an insight into this deep thinker and the way he looks at the landscape.

I then was lucky enough to win a ticket to see him speak at the Hay Festival in May, which turned out to be a preview of this book. I've been eagerly awaiting its publication ever since.

It may look like a coffee table book, but it has much more depth than that. Yes, there's plenty of beautiful images, but it says much more about one of our most influential garden designers of today. For him, the creation of a garden is about finding a 'sense of place' and drawing inspiration from his travels around the world in order to do so. These are the special places that makes Dan pearson's heart sing.

This is not a manual about the mechanics of garden design. It's about looking and feeling and reading landscapes. Only by drawing on that can a designer deliver something beautiful that's right for it's context. It's something that's easy to say, but far harder to master.

Even if garden design's not your thing, this book has enough interest for both gardeners and nature lovers alike.

This book and Dan Pearson capture something you could compare to "The Force" in nature. The right words just slip so elegantly off his tongue and what he says about the things that inspire him are inspiring in themselves.

It is nice to get an insight into how and where you can find your inspiration and how to interpret this in your particular design field.

I'm a big fan of Dan Perason and this book is interesting as it tells you about his early life and family. Each chapter informs the reader about what he finds inspirational. The part which was missing for me is where he has incorporated these ideas into garden designs. I can admire many of the images but not see how to use them in my own garden.

I bought this book as a present for a friend who is starting a career in garden design. This book was a breath of fresh air, bringing the design process back to where it should start - inspiration. Dan Pearson is a very clever man and this book shows that. My only criticism was the font used. I think the presentation of the writing itself could have been better but the content was amazing.